Clothes-pin.



G. W. FIELD.

CLOTHES PIN.

APPLICATION IILED NOV.14. 1913.

1,1 1 8, 109. Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

INE NORRIS PETERS co.. PHOTCLLITHO WASHINGTON. D. c

To all whom it may concern i j 1 nwrTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. FIELD, OF EAST MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T F. & TEHSPECIALTY 00., OF IBOSTON,"M.ASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

CLOTHES-PIN.

Application filed November 14, 1913. Serial No. 800,990. i

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. FIELD, a citizen of the United States and a resident of East Milton, in the county of Norfolk and State of h/Iassachusetts, have invented .certain new and useful Improvements in Glothes-Pins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spring clasps of the type shown in Patents 60,013, granted March 27, 1888, to E. lVIdBallfand 788,509, granted May 2, 1905, to E. VV/and R. L. Ball, the device being particularly intended for use as clothes-pins.

One of the objects of the invention ;is.to provide animproved structure of claspof the type referred to which will retain its operative condition without catching upon articles of wearing apparel, andbeing so constructed that it will nottwist relatively to the clothes-line, and having means whereby the locking action to prevent spreading of the jaws willbe certain at any point. e i

To these ends the invention consists in the improved construction substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings Figure l is an elevation of my improved clasp in its normal position or condition,

when not in use; Fig. 2 is asimilar view illustrating the device with the jaws open to their widest extent; Fig. 1s a similar view illustrating the clasp in use; Fig. 1

represents a section. on line 4-1of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 represents a section, on line 55 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 represents a section on line 66 of Fig 1.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts in all of the views.

The clasp consists of a, single piece of spring wire bent to form a bow 10, diverging arms 11, clasping jaws 12,.and arms 18 leading from the jaw portions 12, said arms being bent to form guide loops 14: (Fi l),

the wire being then bent to form nger loops 15. 1

In general appearance the device as so far described resembles the structure of the Ball patents above referred to.

To apply the clasp to fabric 6 hanging.

over a clothes-line or rope .a,;the user inserts a thumb and finger in the loops 5 and compresses them until the loops abut as in Fig. 2, and then passing the diverging arms Patented 0011.16, 1914..

11 down over the fabric and rope until the latter is between the jaws 12,. after which the user releases the loops 15 and the spring.

action of the bow 10 causes the jaws to grip i the fabric upon the rope. This operation is similar to the. operation of the Bal clothes-pin above referred to.

My improvements consist in providing means for rendering the locking action certain at any point, and in so constructing. the devlce that 1t will not tWlStOI SWIlDgOUI of a plane substantlally ata right angle to the direction of the clothes-line.

Asshown in thedrawings, the ends ofthe- Wll'G" forming the loops 15 extend down through the outer ends of the loops 1 1,.thef

said ends being then bent outward, as indicated at 16. These ends are somewhat hook shaped, :as shown. This formation not only locates the ends of the wire in such position that the loops 15 cannot be sprung out, and so that fabric cannot be caught upon the ends of the wire, butby the hooked engagement with the outer ends of the loops 14: the said loops are pulled upwardly from the outer surface of the1bow10 when the clasp is being changed from the position, shown in Fig. 1 to the position shownin Fig. 2. An especial function of the eXten- I sions 16'is that their inner tips 17fbear against the outer surface of the bow 10 ina manner to bind thereon to resist any tendency of the jaws to spread. In other words, the 1 hooked extensions 16 with their bindingtips erted between the jaws 12 or the arms 11. Re- I ferrin g especiallytoFig. 3, it will be seen that any attempt to spread the jaws will be resisted by the arms 13, the pull upon such arms13 simply binding the tips 17 tightly against the outer surface of the how 10. Of course any such spreading tendency of the jaws would be transmitted through the arms. 11 to the bow 10 and therefore would have a tendency to spread the bow 10 in opposition to the pulling action of the arms 13. Therefore the ends of the loops 141 will cause only a tighter binding action between the pertions 17 and 10 of the wire. The jaws'12 should of course so bind upon the rope or the fabric on the rope that there will be no tendency of the clasp toswing from the position indicated in Fig. A, relatively to the rope. If the jaws were to contact with the rope or the fabric, at such opposite sides of the latter aswould have a tendencyto cause the arms 13 to separate at their crossing point, then the spring of the bow 10 would tend to cause the clasp to assume a position indicated by the line m in Fig. 4. This tendency of the clasp to swing is obviated by so bending the wires that the inner faces of the jaws 12 will grip practically opposite portions of the material inclosed betweenofwire and comprising a curved bow, gripping jaws, guide loops inclosing the bow, and finger loops extending from the guide loops beyond the bow, the ends of the wire extending into the guide loops outside of the bow.

2. A clothes-pin formed of a single piece of wire and comprising a curved bow, grip- 30 ping jaws, guide loops inclosing the bow, and finger loops extending from the guide loops beyond the bow, the ends of the wire extending into the guide loops outside of the how, the inner sides of the finger loops being adapted to abut when the jaws are open, to limitthe maximum opening of the aws.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses,

GEORGE W. FIELD.

Witnesses :s

A. W. HARRISON, P. W. PEZZETTI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. r 

